Recent Posts - page 49
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Thoughts on teaching Vietnamese learners
I’m currently working at the British Council summer school in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s been a fantastic experience so far, and it’s the first time I’ve ever taught English to Vietnamese learners. It’s also my first stint at the… Read More ›
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5 ways to make reading tasks more fun
This week a colleague at the British Council gave me FIVE different activities for my young learner classes. That means I have to share 5 ideas to even things out! There’s a theme to the ideas below – 5 ways… Read More ›
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5 ideas to expand your ELT Toolkit
I was reading the Teacher Toolkit the other day, which is a fantastic site. I took at least 5 new ideas from it, mostly relating to classroom management. It reminded me how rewarding it is to learn from others, and… Read More ›
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35 ways to introduce your lesson topic
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Little tips from CELTA training that go a long way
When you undertake a 1-month intensive CELTA course it’s near impossible to absorb all the information you’re given. You have to prioritise, and that means getting the basics right. Staging a lesson, introducing new language effectively, anticipating problems, that type… Read More ›
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Fluency practice: What do you know about Britain?
Here’s a fun way to get students sharing information, in the context of history and culture. I originally got this idea from waygook.org, which is a good source of lesson inspiration if you’re a teacher based in South Korea. Let’s… Read More ›
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Reflective practice: creating a self-development record
How do you develop as a teacher? Do you rely on observations from peers or senior staff to tell you what you need to improve on? Do you evaluate and reflect on your own lessons? If so, do you do… Read More ›
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What were the last 10 teaching books you used?
Last week my boss Martin Sketchley (eltexperiences) was sitting next to me compiling his list of recommended reading for the CELTA. It made me think about resource and reference books in general, and how I use them. I thought it… Read More ›
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CELTA tip: language analysis assignment
The language analysis assignment is quite straightforward. It’s in two parts, grammar and vocabulary. You’re given a particular grammar structure or lexical items, and you have to analyse it and explain how you would go about teaching it. That’s about… Read More ›
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Lesson idea: UK politics and the election
Today I taught one of my best lessons ever. It’s a massive day for the UK, and there was no way I was going to ignore the general election in class. I had a group of 14 year old intermediate… Read More ›
Featured Categories
materials writing ›
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Materials writing conversations #20: The title
September 7, 2025
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Materials writing conversations #19: vague briefs
October 31, 2024
DipTESOL tips ›
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DipTESOL Independent Research Project
August 10, 2021
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Reflections on the DipTESOL
June 29, 2021
teacher development ›
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Interview task: create a lesson for a Year 10 IGCSE ESL class
February 15, 2026
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AI experiments: IGCSE ESL speaking assessment bank
February 8, 2026
